How Dar hotel acquired extension plot illegally

Kinondoni Municipal Council in Dar es Salaam issued a title deed and a building permit illegally to Indian Ocean Hotel Limited for construction of an extension to its hotel at Masaki in the city, The Guardian on Sunday can report.

The dubious circumstances in which the two documents were issued to the company were laid bare yesterday after the ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, in collaboration with council officials, conducted a demolition of a temporary fence and other structures built in an open space along the edge of Golden Tulip Hotel premises in Masaki area.

It was earlier discovered that the plot in question had previously been temporarily leased by the municipal council to Indian Ocean Hotel Ltd, which operates Dar es Salaam Golden Tulip Hotel, for a parking lot during a Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting last year.

However, the hotel management later went behind the municipality’s back to acquire illegally a title deed and later a building permit No. 18244 for the said plot.

Speaking to journalists yesterday during the demolition process, Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development William Lukuvi said after the ministry conducted an investigation how the plot was acquired, it was established that corruption was involved in the acquisition of both the title deed and the building permit for the leased plot No. 2048.

According to Lukuvi, the owner of the hotel received a building permit from dishonest Kinondoni municipal officials to make an extension to its hotel in an area which had been earmarked by the government as an open space.

He said the demolition process took place yesterday after the government won a case on Friday which had been instituted by the management of Indian Ocean Hotel Ltd in the High Court’s Land Division following a government decision to ban improvement of the coast area and the famous Coco Beach shore strip.

“The government does not employ double standards in its performance.

If we demolished houses belonging to poor people living in Msimbazi valley for violating environmental laws the same will apply to all the people and investors who do not want to follow government directives,” he said.

The minister also ordered Kinondoni Municipal Council to take action against its officials responsible for approving ownership of the area to the hotel company and called on the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC) to perform their duties in accordance with the law.

He said that all recreational areas along Oysterbay beach, popularly known as Coco Beach, would be developed by the government, adding that indiscriminate issuing of permit to investors will end up costing Tanzanians their rightful access to open spaces as they (investors) would use them to generate income and not for the benefit of the people in general.

Kinondoni Municipal Director Aron Kagurumjuli, for his part, said that ownership of the area adjacent to the hotel was illegally issued, adding that the building permit and title deed were invalidated in October 2015.

“After we invalidated the title deed and building permit, the owner was instructed to demolish the fence and stop any expansion of the premises as directed by NEMC to stop construction of buildings close to the sea,” he said.

Dr Vedast Makota, NEMC Director for Environmental Information, Communication and Information, said that the government had restricted the area to undergo any development activities in order to pave way for the construction of a new project.

He said the government expect to construct a ship control tower which would be built on the shores of the Indian Ocean near beaches stretching from Oysterbay to Sea Cliff Hotel.

The demolition exercise in open spaces yesterday continued in various parts of Oysterbay where the municipality demolished some posters and temporary tents which had been put up at Coco Beach hotel.